The Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend 2014, scheduled for January 18 and 19, 2014, is well on track for its biggest year yet. Entry levels are expected to surpass last year's figures and organizers are looking forward to welcoming more local and international participants than ever before.

Marathon Bahamas, a Boston qualifier and now in its fifth year, has attracted participants from over 20 countries, and with last year’s combined figures totaling 3,019 registered participants (1,873 in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure and 1,146 persons in Marathon Bahamas), organizers are hoping that the overall figure increases by 20 percent for the 2014 race weekend.

“We expect to see exponential growth in the Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure by the mere fact that breast cancer is so prevalent here, affecting just about every family. People want to support this cause. Additionally, over the past five years we have seen more and more ordinary Bahamians becoming active and taking up the challenge of participating in the weekend”, said Veronica Duncanson, Marathon Bahamas Executive Vice President/COO.

Aggressive international marketing efforts by the Sports Tourism Division of the Ministry of Tourism, and changing the race date to the Martin Luther King Birthday Weekend are also having a positive impact on the weekend, according to Duncanson. International registrants are up 26 percent over last year this time. Local numbers are currently down about 25 percent, however. It is expected that there will be a substantial increase in registration as December approaches.

The Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend has also benefitted greatly from the strategic alliance with the Susan G. Komen organization, in July 2010, resulting in increased access to international funding, to support the work of local cancer charities. The signing of this partnership moved Marathon Bahamas from a one-day to a two-day event, and changed the name to the Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend, comprising the 5 kilometer (k) Susan G. Komen Bahamas Race for the Cure on the Saturday of the event, and the full, half and four-person relay marathon on the Sunday of the event.

Five years later, this event, which started as a brand awareness marketing initiative, is on its way to becoming one of the “best little marathons” in the world. Proceeds from this event benefit the cancer charities here in The Bahamas – The Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, The Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group, The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation, and the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama.

For more information about the 2014 Sunshine Insurance Race Weekend, and to register, interested persons are invited to visit the event’s website at www.marathonbahamas.com.